Introduction
Racial Discrimination , Deviance , and Redemption in ``Crash '
Paul Haggis (2004 ) movie ``Crash ' is a powerful portrayal on the way
in which racial discrimination as a complex social problem affects the
lives of people . Set in Los Angeles , the movie shows how different
people often ``crash ' into each other 's lives and unconsciously create
ripples in these interactions . The effectivity of Higgis ' depiction lies
on the utter simplicity by which the movie is able to show the nuances
of interlocking problems from multiple perspectives . Interestingly , the
movie also poses the problem of coping in a multi-cultural society where
racism is almost a norm in itself and shows how gender and
socio-economic gaps contribute to and reinforce racial stereotypes and
biases .
The film 's exploration on the barriers erected by racial , gender , and
income disparities is perhaps best portrayed by Matt Dillon who plays
the character John Ryan , a police officer who has been working for
seventeen years with the Los Angeles Police Department . Ryan is a
single , white , male who lives with and takes care of his aging father
off-duty and who spends most of the time in the movie demanding a better
doctor from his father 's healthcare company . Ryan is both a dutiful son
to his father and the police force , however , his character harbors the
frustration resulting from the conflicts of his status as a male
Caucasian in the lower rungs of the economic ladder which prevents him
from providing better quality of healthcare to his ailing father . It is
from thses conflicting roles that his bitterness and disdain towards
privileged people of color arises .
Most of the poignant scenes which emphasize his bitterness and his
attempt to compensate for his disadvantaged position show Ryan
attempting to get back at his perceived tormentors either by physically
or verbally harassing them using his position as a police officer...